Qld households to cop $1300 cost-of-living slug as registration, energy rebates end

Queensland households face a $1300 cost increase with temporary car registration and energy bill rebates set to end before the state government’s first budget.

Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki during a press conference last month. Picture: Dan Peled / NewsWire

Queensland households face a $1300 cost increase with temporary car registration and energy bill rebates set to end before the state government’s first budget.

The government will in September hike all fees and charges by 3.4 per cent – which on top of the end of the former government’s 20 per cent vehicle registration discount – will increase the cost of registering a vehicle by $134 to about $590.

The blanket $1000 energy bill rebate – which cost the Labor government $2.5bn in last year’s budget – will also end.

While neither Labor nor the LNP promised to extend the rebates during the election campaign, Queenslanders are still feeling the pinch of years-long cost of living pressures.

Queensland Council of Social Service chief executive officer Aimee McVeigh argued struggling families still needed government financial support.

“We definitely know Queenslanders on low incomes are still really feeling the pain of the cost of living and housing crises,” she said.

“The cost of housing hasn’t decreased so people are spending a large proportion of their income on housing, leaving little left over to make ends meet.

QCOSS boss Aimee McVeigh says Queenslanders still need cost-of-living support. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

“Rebates and concessions didn’t completely take away that pain but they were supporting families … we would advocate those rebates should stay in place.”

Ms McVeigh said, to protect “precious public funds”, the government should target the rebates to go to families who need support.

Treasurer David Janetzkisaid the government would deliver structural cost of living relief.

“Labor left Queensland in a cost of living crisis, and the Crisafulli government is committed to long-term cost of living relief through delivering the LNP’s Permanent 50c Fares, abolishing stamp duty for eligible first home buyers, axing Labor’s Patient’s Tax and introducing the Electricity Maintenance Guarantee to put downward pressure on power prices,” he said.

Last year’s budget included $11bn of cost of living relief, a 31 per cent increase on the previous year.

Opposition Leader Steven Miles argued Premier David Crisafulli was “out of touch”.

“He is choosing to slug the average Queensland family with higher regos fees,” Mr Miles said.

“He promised to provide immediate energy rebates but has only increased the pain on family budgets.”

Mr Janetzki is understood to be facing budget deficit worse than the $6.9bn projected in January.

The government has argued Labor failed to fund programs, which along with a $2.3bn cut in Queensland’s GST revenue will put pressure on Mr Janetzki’s bottom line in the June 24 budget.

Originally published as Qld households to cop $1300 cost-of-living slug as registration, energy rebates end